Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges: gay portraits of Flanders

May 18 2014

by misterb&b

There were nearly 50,000 people in the streets ofBrussels this Saturday, May 14th for the gay pride parade. A great success for this 16th edition, proof, if any were needed, of the dynamism of Brussels' gay life. However, this should not make us forget that in Belgium, where gay marriage has been authorized for 8 years, it is good to live one's gay life outside Brussels and that the country has more than one ideal destination for a city-break!

To convince you of this, we have chosen to present three very gay-friendly destinations:Antwerp,Ghent andBruges.antwerp, Belgium's second largest city, is the vibrant heart of Flemish gay life, with its bars, clubs, and leather scene, and is only 2 hours from Paris. It's an avant-garde city that will attract design and fashion lovers. finally,Bruges, a cultural cocoon, romantic and quiet, 2h30 by train from Paris, is the ideal destination for a romantic weekend.

We asked the inhabitants of these three cities to act as guides for our readers: Samme in Bruges, Bart in Antwerp and Jean-François & Kurt in Ghent will show you their cities, during an ideal weekend!

*** ANTWERP, vibrant heart of Flemish gay life, by BART

Bart is 43 years old. He and Gaëtan have been a couple for 12 years and have been officially married under Belgian law for two years. An air conditioning engineer in the building and public works sector, he has lived in Ghent and Brussels for a long time. Today, he and Gaëtan have just moved to Antwerp. "We wanted a change of scenery while remaining in a big city. And apart from Brussels, Antwerp remains the largest Belgian city, only 30 minutes away from the capital by car.

"Antwerp is much more beautiful than Brussels. Here, it's a bit like a little Paris, with beautiful stores, beautiful views, beautiful buildings. It's chic, and then it's a fashion capital. As for the gay life, it has little to envy to the gay life in Brussels. "Obviously, it's not Paris, London or Barcelona, but there are bars, clubs, saunas, a bit of everything. And then what is typical here is that there is a leather and fetish scene, unique in Belgium". Indeed, Antwerp even hosts aLeather Pride every year, in January, 6 months before theAntwerp gay pride.

Here is his very personal guide to a successful weekend in Antwerp!

MAS, Museum Aan de Stroom, Antwerp's new museum © MAS

Visits

The MAS is Antwerp's newest museum located in the old port area. The building itself is an architectural gem. It gathers the collections of several museums of the city. On the upper floor there is a star restaurant with a superb view over the whole of Antwerp.
Museum Aan de Stroom - Hanzestedenplaats 1
+32 (0)3 338 44 34

The Zoo is the green heart of the city, populated by more than 5,000 animals. It is one of the oldest zoos in the world. For more than 160 years this romantic English garden in the heart of the city has been a unique meeting place for young and old.
Antwerp Zoo - Koningin Astridplein 26
+32 (0)3 202 45 40

Not to be missed is the house of the painter Rubens, where he lived and worked for 25 years, starting in 1610. Rubens is the most famous figure in Antwerp, this house-museum is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
Rubenshuis (Rubens House) - Wapper 9/-11
+32 3 201 15 55

Some places not to be missed: the central station, a superb testimony of railway architecture, located not far from the diamond district (Diamond Square Mile) and Chinatown (the only Chinatown inBelgium); the historical center, with the Grand Place (Grote Markt), Groenplaats and the cathedral, one of the most beautiful European gothic buildings.

Shopping

Antwerp is one of Europe's fashion capitals, home to Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester and Walter Van Beirendonck, among others. To discover some of the best brands, go to Le Meir, the shopping street in the heart of Antwerp

Grote Markt, the Grand Place, during the gay pride © DR

Go out

The Hessenhuis Café is the ideal gay bar-restaurant to start the evening. Very nice setting, rather young clientele, who come before the Red and Blue.
Hessenhuis café- Falconrui 59
+32 (0)3 231 13 56

The Red & Blue is the gay club of Antwerp. It hosts the biggest parties (Salvation, Club Flesh) and attracts an international clientele
Red & Blue- Lange Schipperskapelstraat 13
+32 (0)3 213 05 55

And for the more hardcore partygoers, I recommend the Mezzo Giorno party, first launched as an after party to the now defunct Navigaytion party. It's a big gay party, which takes place 5 times a year and attracts up to 800 people.
Mezzo Giorno @ Zaal Cinema - Lange Brilstraat 12

*** GENT, DYNAMIC CITY AND DISCREET GAY LIFE by JEAN-FRANCOIS and KURT

Jean-François, 42, a librarian, and Kurt, 45, an engineer, have been living in Ghent for 10 years. Jean-François is French and has long divided his life between Paris during the week and Ghent at the weekend. When he and Kurt decided to move permanently to Ghent 3 years ago, they left the city center and moved to Sint-Martens-Latem, a few minutes away, in the greenery along the Lys river.

They like the setting of Ghent: "It's as nice as Bruges, but less touristy, so it's more pleasant to live in.ghent is a student city, a young and dynamic city, but its gay life seems to have calmed down a bit lately: "A few years ago, it was more lively, with the Belmondo parties for example. Today everything is more discreet. There are even private parties where only co-opted people are admitted. This is new.

Here is their very personal guide to a successful weekend in Ghent!

Photo: Graslei, Ghent's lively quay along the river Leie © Thomas Kindermans

Visits

The S.M.A.K., the municipal museum of contemporary art, with its collections of pop art and conceptual art, is a must. Located in the park of the Citadel.
S.M.A.K. - Citadelpark
+32 (0)9 240 76 01

Also worth seeing, the Design Museum, unique in Belgium, opposite the Graslei quay
Design Museum - Jan Breydelstraat 5
+32 (0)9 267 99 99

To stroll around, the Flower Market, in front of the Opera, on the Kouter and its unmissable Blauwe Kiosk where you can taste white wine and oysters, with a few Ghent gays used to the place! Saturday and Sunday morning

An idea for a walk, especially if the weather is good: discover the flat landscape around Ghent by renting a boat (no license required) on the river Lys, to the picturesque villages outside the city. Take your picnic with you but be careful, don't stop in someone's garden, you'll be very badly received!
MBC Minerva Boat Company bvba - Coupure rechts / Lindelei 2a
+32 (0)9 233 79 17

Shopping

We recommend the Jan Welvaert store, a beautiful concept store, located in a beautiful Ghent house, with its typical ceiling and chimneys. A good starting point to discover other stores.
Jan Welvaert Concept Store - Brabantdam 61, 9000 Ghent

If you want to bring back small souvenirs from Ghent or Belgium, avoid the classic stores and prefer the Kringwinkel (a bit like Emmaüs) where you can find objects and furniture for just a few euros.
For example, near the Kouter: Kringwinkel Ateljee vzw - Zandpoortstraat 49
+32 (0)9 233 96 20

Eating

Near the museums, next to the tourist monuments, the Belga Queen brewery is a very gay-friendly place, with its terrace on the banks of the Leie, on the Graslei
Brasserie Belga Queen - Graslei 10
+32 (0)9 280 01 00

Two other restaurants to recommend: after a day of shopping, Martino, next to the Zuid, welcomes you in an American restaurant decor
Martino - Vlaanderenstraat 125
+32 (0)9 225 01 04

And also the stylish, lounge, trendy restaurant bar Grade, next to the S.M.A.K.
Grade - Charles de Kerchovelaan 81
+32 (0)9 224 43 85

A tip for all restaurants, make reservations for dinner!

Go out

For real gay parties, go to Antwerp or Brussels. But the GentseFeesten in July is a highlight of Ghent's gay life, with the electro festival10 Days Off, organized in the Vooruit (a monument with a bar on the first floor) and the gay parties in the Cocteau hall.it's very festive!
Vooruit - Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 23
+32 (0)9 267 28 28

Cocteau - Zuidstationstraat 9
+32 (0)9 329 79 83

Otherwise, the youngest ones can go to the Casa Rosa, bar next to the Gay and Lesbian Center
Foyer Casa Rosa - Belfortstraat 39
+34 (0)4 86 58 94 76

And the trendiest ones at Culture Club
Culture Club - Afrikalaan 174
+32 (0)9 233 09 46

A last good plan, for those who want to get away from the classic city center. A few minutes from Ghent, in Sint-Martens-Latem (20 minutes by bus, line 35), you can have lunch or dinner in a very nice place: De Klokkeput. Great service, good food, very nice terrace in front of the church. Make a reservation!
De Klokkeput - Dorp 8 - 9830 Sint-Martens-Latem
+32 (0)9 282 47 75

And in the evening, continue with a drink at the Bobar, with your feet in the sand. Great place in the middle of nowhere, very Belgian, very chic. Come with friends.
Bobar - Dorp 10 - 9830 St Martens Latem

*** BRUGES, CULTURAL, ROMANTIC AND QUIET, by SAMME

Samme, 33 years old, has always lived in Bruges, except for the few years he spent studying in Ghent and Antwerp. He is the artistic coordinator of the Concertgebouw in Bruges, where he is in charge of the contemporary dance program. He is also responsible forDecember Dance, the international dance festival of Bruges, which takes place every year during the first 15 days of December.

Bruges, a medieval city, a Unesco world heritage site, visited each year by nearly 3 million tourists, is the first tourist destination in Belgium. A romantic city, it also has the reputation of being a quiet city! "This is probably due to the fact that there is no university and therefore no student atmosphere, like in Ghent. But Bruges is not boring, you just have to know the right places.

There are no 100% gay establishments here, even though there have been attempts, without success. "These bars were too closed in, not open enough. If you're looking for that kind of place, go to Ghent, Antwerp or Brussels. In Bruges, you'll find gay-friendly, mixed places.

Bruges, a romantic and quiet destination, to discover together. "I have the chance, thanks to my job, to travel a lot and therefore to know the gay life of many cities. When I come back to Bruges, I like to enjoy its quietness".

Here is his very personal guide to a successful weekend in Bruges!

Photo: The canals of Bruges © Mark Dhamond

Visits

Bruges is nicknamed the Venice of the North, a boat trip on the canals is a must! Another good plan is to rent a bike and ride around the old city, it's a very nice ride. You can also ride your bike to Damme, 8 kilometers from Bruges, along the canals. Finally, when the weather is nice, organize a picnic at Konigin Astridpark or Minnewaterpark.

For the view, go up to the belfry. On a clear day, you can see the cliffs of Dover, on the other side of the Channel.
Belfry of Bruges - Markt 7
+32 (0)50 44 86 86

If you had only one visit to make, choose the Groenige Museum, a museum of fine arts, which presents six centuries of Flemish, Dutch and Belgian painting.
Groenige Museum - Dijver 12
+32 (0)50 44 87 51

Shopping

In this nice store run by a gay couple, you will find trendy clothes and shoes, for her or for him.
Fashionstore Leeloo - St.-Jakobsstrat 19
+32 (0)50 34 04 55

Eating

For lunch, an unpretentious but excellent address for a meal on the go
Sandwich shop St. Amandje - St. Amandsstraat 33
+32 (0)50 33 06 65

The Pro Deo is a small, cosy address for dinner. It is located in the Langestraat which has the particularity of being the only street in the world to have two Michelin starred restaurants: De Karmeliet (at number 19) and Sans Cravate (number 159)
Pro Deo - Langestraat 161
+32 (0)50 33 73 55

Sleeping

Here are two addresses, at the two extremes. The Budgethotel Bauhaus welcomes a lot of young foreign tourists and has a very nice international atmosphere. The Kempinski Hotel Dukes' Palace is pure luxury!
Budgethotel & Hostel Bauhaus - Langestraat 135
+32 (0)50 34 10 93

Kempinski Hotel Dukes' Palace - Prinsenhof 8
+32 (0)50 447 888

Going out

The Soulbar Parazar is probably the most gay-friendly place in Bruges. On weekends, tables and chairs are pushed out and it turns into a club until very late at night.
Soulbar Parazar - Torhoutsesteenweg 10
+32 (0)50 33 55 28

This is a place where I like to have a drink with friends, in the courtyard, in the sun. Café Risico a typical Belgian brown café, gay-friendly, very cosy, with a great choice of beers.
Café 't Risico Jeruzalemstraat 53
+32 (0)50 491169

Also gay friendly, the Comptoir des Arts, with a much younger clientele, a nice cellar, music
Comptoir des arts - Vlamingstraat, 53
+32 (0)49 438 79 61

And every evening, a dance or classical music show to discover at the Concertgebouw, international center for music and scenic arts or at thecultural center of Bruges.
Concertgebouw Brugge - 't zand 34